Ash removal system

ABSTRACT

An ash removal system that progressively removes ash and other residual matter from the underside of a firebed in an incinerator without disturbing combustion at the top thereof or shearing the residual matter including elongate contents therein as it is being removed from the bottom of the firebed.

Umted States 616111 1 1 1111 3,847,296 Stoelrmnn 1 Nov. 12,- 1974 1 1 A811 REMOVAL SYSTEM 1,809.771 6/1931 Beaumont 110/165 2,978,999 4/1961 Smith 1 110/165 X 1751 inventor: 3 smckma'l Fnendshpi 3,577,938 5/1971 Muirhead et a1. 110/165 x [73} Assignee: The Air Preheater Company, llnc., Primary Examiner Kenneth Spmgue Wallsvlne Attorney, Agent, or FirmWayne H, Lang [22] Filed: Dec. 6, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 422,501 [57] ABSTRACT 52 us. o1. 110/165 0, 110/169 An ash removal system that progressively remvves ash [51] 1111. 1:1 1 23 1/00 and other residual matter from the underside of [58] Field 1 S r h 110/165 R 166 167 168 bed in an incinerator without disturbing combustion at 110/169, 170, 171 the top thereof or shearing the residual matter including elongate contents therein as it is being removed [56] R feren e Cit d from the bottom of the firebed.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 11 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 1,732,576 10/1929 Dunbar 110/171 ASH REMOVAL SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an arrangement for a solid waste incinerator whereby ash and other residual matter resulting from combustion of the solid waste therein may be removed progressively from the incinerator without encountering excessive opposition from bottles, cans, and the like at the bottom of a firebed. In this manner the combustion process may continue on the upper surface thereof completely undisturbed while all residual matter is progressively being removed from the bottom of the incinerator.

2. Description of Prior Art Various arrangements have been used in the past for the removal of ash and other residual matter from an incinerator after the organic matter has been completely burned therefrom. The ash removal doors of US. Pat. No. 1,863,218 of June 14, 1932 are hinged to open downwardly to permit the complete removal of all ash collected at the bottom of an incinerator, while in US. Pat. No. 1,891,416 of Aug. 18, 1931, ash is removed from an incinerator by opening a trap door at the bottom thereof so that the entire collection of ash may fall to a sloping deck from which it is further removed by a system of washing devices.

Thus various arrangements for the removal of ash from incinerators have been provided, however no known devices are adapted to alternately remove a small amount of residual matter from opposite sides of an incinerator bed without disturbing the combustion process that is continuously being carried out on the upper surface thereof. Moreover, no known devices are adapted to remove ash containing fibrous residual matter or having elongate elements therein without opening the incinerator for a prohibitive length of time and subjecting the incinerator to an influx of an excess amount of combustion air.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The arrangement defined by this invention permits the continuous removal of ash from the lower portion of an incinerator without interfering in any way with a 45 combustion process that is being carried out continuously on the upper surface thereof. The ash removal system is adapted to move alternately from one side to the other of the ash removal chamber to remove ash from both sides of the firebed and thus lower its upper level accordingly without producing a shearing or transverse cutting action that is resisted by the presence of cans, bottles and other residual matter of a fibrous nature or of a solid state.

Accordingly, I provide an incinerator housing wherein the floor thereof is comprised of a plane base plate with a refractory surface, and where a pair of opposite walls thereof include horizontal slots adjacent said base plate with a refractory surface, and where a pair of opposite walls thereof include horizontal slots adjacent said base plate. A ram with a central void therein is movable in opposite directions across said base plate and through the slots to provide an outlet passageway from the incinerator to a disposal zone whereby the waste material may flow through the central void and through one of the slots without disturbing the upper surface of the firebed where combustion of waste material may continue.

2 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Other objectives and means of operation will become more apparent from the specification and the accompanying drawings in which:

1. FIG. 1 is a transverse sectional view of the incinerator and ash collection chamber as seen with a cleaning ram in a neutral position,

2. FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view when the cleaning ram is operated to one side, and

3. FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view when the cleaning ram is operated to the opposite side. 4. FIG. 4 is a cross section al view along line 4-4 in FIG. I. 7

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring particularly to FIG. ll, there is formed an incinerator housing 12 having therein a door 14 for the loading of waste material into chamber 141 Achamber mits the exhaust of the gases of combustion. The housing 12 comprises a combustion chamber for the waste material having a suitable supplyof air and fuel (not shown) while immediately subjacent thereto a chamber 22 collects the ash that results from combustion of waste material in chamber 15. The ash collection chamber 22 formed by walls 19 is separated from a disposal zone 23 by an imperforate floor 24 of ceramic or other fire resistant material that is attached at its sides to the walls 19.

The lower portion of the incinerator housing 12 formed with side walls 19 includes opening or slot means 28 and 30 through which aram 32 isadapted to slide horizontally. The ram is sized to closelyfit into the slots 28 and 30 to preclude leakage of gasesbetween the ram and the edges of the surrowndingslots. The ram is formed with a central void 34 intermediate imperforate end blocks 36 which are adapted'to slide forward and backward into boxed ends 42 and that confront the slots 28 at the sides of thehousing. Each end 36 of the ram is adapted to be moved'intothe boxedends 42 i or 44 to permit ash'to fall fromthe chamber 22 through i 34, slot 28 or '30 and into the disposalzone23.

Spray means 54 is representativeonly of various apparatusthat may selectively be=providedto wet down the residual matter and ash that has been delivered to the disposal zone 23, while disposal door 56*covers an opening through whichcollectionsof ash may be discarded.

Movement of the ram iseffected by means such as a manually operable plunger 52 orby any mechanical actuator that is operated in responsetoa conventional timing mechanism (not shown) In operation a charge of waste material isplaced in the incinerator through charging door-l4 and issubsequently burned to a small amount of ash and other residue. Additional charges are placed therein until the residual matter resulting therefrom builds up to intolerable levels. At this point the actuatorSZ is pushed (or pulled) and the ram 32 is moved to one side whereby ash may fall to the ash collection chamber23 through outlet with an exhaust stack 18 attachedthereto persageway at the other side of the incinerator so that residual matter will move therethrough.

Thus ash is alternately removed from opposite sides of the collection chamber so the upper surface of the firebed is maintained at a substantially level status whereby conditions of efficient incineration may be continuously maintained. Moreover, the ram 32 is designed to open a passageway from chamber 22 to disposal zone 23 that will permit the descent of elongate or solid elements of residual matter through the slots in the side walls without having them block the exhaust passageway or otherwise prohibit freedom of lateral movement of the ram.

The housing for each boxed end 42 or 44 is sized to permit the entrance therein of an imperforate block 36 until the void 34 in the ram is aligned with either of the open spaces 28 or 30 whereby ash may descend from the collection chamber 22 through either of the openings and terminate in the disposal zone 23 or other zone outside the incinerator.

While this invention has been described with reference to a single species it is apparent that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1 claim:

1. Apparatus for the combustion of waste material therein comprising a housing that encloses an incinerator chamber superposed over an ash collection chamber, said ash collection chamber including a plane floor and side walls formed to include horizontally disposed slot means, an ash removal ram adjacent the plane floor adapted to extend laterally through said slot means, a void extending vertically through said ram, an ash disposal zone subjacent the ash collection chamber, and means for moving the ram laterally through said slot means to position the void therein intermediate the ash collection chamber and the disposal zone whereby the void in the ram will serve as a passageway for ash moving from the collection chamber to the disposal zone.

2. An incinerator for the combustion of waste material as defined in claim 1 wherein the incineration chamber superposed over the ash collection chamber includes an opening therebetween that is common to both of said chambers.

3. An incinerator for the combustion of waste material therein as defined in claim 1 wherein the slot means in a wall of the ash collection chamber is similar to and sized to tightly embrace the ash removal ram to provide a sealing relation around the edges thereof as it is moved transversely through said slot.

4. An incinerator for the combustion of waste mate rial as defined in claim 1 wherein the ram includes an imperforate block on opposite sides of the void adapted to bridge the slot means when one of said blocks is located centrally thereof.

5. An incinerator for the combustion of waste material as defined in claim 1 wherein a pair of opposing side walls of the ash collection chamber includes similarly disposed slots in a pair of opposite walls adapted to receive the ash removal ram for horizontal movement therethrough.

6. An incinerator for the combustion of waste material as defined in claim 3 wherein the ram is formed to include an imperforate block lying laterally adjacent the leading and trailing edges of the void whereby said imperforate blocks are adapted to bridge a slot to preclude the flow of air therethrough when the ram is moved laterally in said ash collection chamber.

7. An incinerator for the combustion of waste material as defined in claim 1 wherein the ash removal ram slidably abuts the plane floor that lies subjacent thereto.

8. An incinerator for the combustion of waste material as defined in claim 1 wherein the ash removal ram is formed from a temperature resistant material.

9. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 including box means having an open side that confronts a wall having the horizontal slots therein whereby said box means will receive the ram as it is moved transversely through said slot.

10. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 including a plurality of box means having open side walls that confront side walls of said ash collection chamber formed with a horizontal slot therein, and a wall of one of said box means formed with an opening that is adapted to receive the actuating means for moving the ram transversely through said slots.

11. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 including means for flushing the ash with fluid after it has been removed from the ash collection chamber. 

1. Apparatus for the combustion of waste material therein comprising a housing that encloses an incinerator chamber superposed over an ash collection chamber, said ash collection chamber including a plane floor and side walls formed to include horizontally disposed slot means, an ash removal ram adjacent the plane floor adapted to extend laterally through said slot means, a void extending vertically through said ram, an ash disposal zone subjacent the ash collection chamber, and means for moving the ram laterally through said slot means to position the void therein intermediate the ash collection chamber and the disposal zone whereby the void in the ram will serve as a passageway for ash moving from the collection chamber to the disposal zone.
 2. An incinerator for the combustion of waste material as defined in claim 1 wherein the incineration chamber superposed over the ash collection chamber includes an opening therebetween that is common to both of said chambers.
 3. An incinerator for the combustion of waste material therein as defined in claim 1 wherein the slot means in a wall of the ash collection chamber is similar to and sized to tightly embrace the ash removal ram to provide a sealing relation around the edges thereof as it is moved transversely through said slot.
 4. An incinerator for the combustion of waste material as defined in claim 1 wherein the ram includes an imperforate block on opposite sides of the void adapted to bridge the slot means when one of said blocks is located centrally thereof.
 5. An incinerator for the combustion of waste material as defined in claim 1 wherein a pair of opposing side walls of the ash collection chamber includes similarly disposed slots in a pair of opposite walls adapted to receive the ash removal ram for horizontal movement therethrough.
 6. An incinerator for the combustion of waste material as defined in claim 3 wherein the ram is formed to include an imperforate block lying laterally adjacent the leading and trailing edges of the void whereby said imperforate blocks are adapted to bridge a slot to preclude the flow of air therethrough when the ram is moved laterally in said ash collection chamber.
 7. An incinerator for the combustion of waste material as defined in claim 1 wherein the ash removal ram slidably abuts the plane floor that lies subjacent thereto.
 8. An incinerator for the combustion of waste material as defined in claim 1 wherein the ash removal ram is formed from a temperature resistant material.
 9. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 including box means having an open side that confronts a wall having the horizontal slots therein whereby said box means will receive the ram as it is moved transversely through said slot.
 10. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 including a plurality of box means having open side walls that confront side walls of said ash collection chamber formed with a horizontal slot therein, and a wall of one of said box means formed with an opening that is adapted to receive the actuating means for moving the ram transversely through said slots.
 11. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 including means for flushing the ash with fluid after it has been removed from the ash collection chamber. 